1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to a billet guide, in particular for producing slabs, with supporting intervals which can be adjusted to different billet widths.
2. Description of the Invention
Billet guides in continuous casting installations are known from DE 26 12 094 A1. These billet guides have frame parts or stand parts which are connected across from one another in pairs by tie rods. Billet guide rollers are then supported at these frame parts or stand parts.
It is also known from DE 19 63 146 C1, to combine parts of the frame or stand for a plurality of rollers to form segments. The segment frames are formed by two yoke frames supporting the rollers and the yoke frames can be adjusted to the desired casting format by means of tie rods and spacers.
Additionally, DE 15 83 620 A1 teaches to use a billet guide frame formed from segments to deform the partially solidified billet in vertical straightening, bend straightening, and elbow installations. However, in this case, the yoke parts supporting the rollers are themselves supported and their position can be externally adjusted. In so doing, the first segment following the mold is held below the tnold in stationary pivot bearings and the adjusting devices act only on the lower side of the frame parts remote of the mold.
In conventional billet guide flames in elbow installations constructed as segments corresponding to the type described in DE 19 63 146 C1, the upper and lower frames of the segments are clamped relative to one another by means of four hydraulic differential cylinders which are arranged at the corners outside the billet path and connect the frames. Spacers which can be constructed as rotatable graduated disks or stepped disks are used to adjust to different billet thicknesses.
It is known from DE 40 22 894 C2 to adjust different intervals between the rollers of the supporting frame by providing a rotatable bushing with a helical or screw-shaped supporting surface as spacing means, an abutment associated with one of the frame parts being supported at this supporting surface. Since the angle of inclination of the screw-shaped supporting surface is very small, preferably smaller than the permissible friction angle, the adjustment paths are also small so as to allow for, e.g., billet shrinkage in adjusting the distance between the rollers.
In all of these constructions, including the latter, it is impossible to change the spacing between the rollers during the casting process due to the construction or, if the guide frames are also supposed to bring about a deformation (continuous casting and rolling) of the billet, to adjust the spacing between the rollers in a reproducible manner under the prevailing deformation forces.